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Chocolate Ganache Tart with Macaroon Crust

This rich keto low carb chocolate ganache is a chocolate lovers’ dream dessert. The most heavenly of sugar-free desserts and it’s incredibly easy to make!

You may recall a few months ago, I floated out a very important, possibly ground breaking theory. It’s a simple theory but it’s quite spectacular: Chocolate ganache fixes everything. At the time, I was mostly referring to the fact that it helps mask my incredibly poor cake-frosting abilities under a lovely layer of rich chocolate-y goodness. I really am remarkably bad at frosting cakes but I am also remarkably good at pouring ganache over them. And then no one notices my patchy, messy frosting. But the reality is that chocolate ganache is so much more than a distraction from messy frosting. Ever so much more. Because chocolate ganache just might be one of the richest, tastiest, most delicious chocolate creations in all the world. And as such, it has great power. It has the power to soothe ruffled nerves and brighten the lousiest of days. It can create bonds of friendship in the unlikeliest of people. Everyone swoons at chocolate ganache, so if ever you are in a situation of high tension with bitter foes ready to do battle, just whip up some chocolate ganache. Peace is restored. Everyone is happy. Until the ganache is gone. Then you are screwed!

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For a long time, my problem has been making a sugar-free chocolate ganache that is truly authentic. “Real” chocolate ganache is a simple mixture of cream and semi-sweet chocolate. But I don’t use semi-sweet chocolate. And unsweetened chocolate is very finicky and prone to seizing at the least provocation. I attempted the cream/chocolate combination several times early on in my low carb career and got a goopy, irretrievable mess. Determined not to live without chocolate ganache, I made up my own version which involved butter, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder and sweetener. And it made for a very acceptable and delicious, but not so authentic, chocolate sauce that tasted and behaved so much like real ganache, I was happy enough. I thought I was satisfied.

And then I came across a Martha Stewart recipe that I wanted to revamp and I found I wasn’t quite as satisfied as I’d previously thought. Martha’s Crisp Coconut and Chocolate Pie had me gagging for real chocolate ganache, made simply by melting chocolate with heavy cream and creating that unbelievably smooth, rich finish. So I decided to screw up my courage and attempt the unsweetened chocolate/cream mixture again, this time with several years of low carb experience under my belt. I was nervous, no question. I hate wasting ingredients and I particularly hate wasting chocolate. But I thought I knew enough about how my sweetener (Swerve), my chocolate and my cream behave that I might attempt it once more. One thing I knew was that powdered Swerve has a tendency to create a thicker end product, so I cut back on the total amount of chocolate compared to other ganache recipes. I also helped sweeten the ganache with a little stevia. And a little vanilla helped give it that semi-sweet chocolate flavour.

I won’t lie; this was really a leap of faith for me. But one of the ingredients that really helped make it work? Patience. I knew I needed to let that chopped chocolate melt completely in the hot cream before I whisked it together. Even so, I could hardly believe my luck when I began to whisk and got an incredibly smooth chocolate mixture. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I poured it into my coconut macaroon crust. Real low carb chocolate ganache conquered. I am on top of the world.

Beat egg whites with sweetener and vanilla until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy. Gently fold in shredded coconut until combined.

Spread mixture over bottom and up the sides of prepared pan. Cover edges with strips of foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 to 10 minutes more, or until edges are lightly browned. Remove and let cool.

Chocolate Ganache:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together cream and powdered sweetener. Bring to just a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in stevia and vanilla extracts.

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.
I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.
I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Hi Carolyn, Have you tried using Cocoa Paste? I’ve just found some at my local grocer GoodnessMe and from what I’ve read it may be the best solution yet for making anything chocolate. I’m sure your recipe will be wonderful, as always…..
Thanks!

I have subscribed to your wwebsite and love your blog and recipes,but when i click print the box at top says the word “blank”. it is on every recipe I have tried to print from your website. If I cant print them it is not practiacl for me to use because my computer is upstairs and kitchen downstairs! Am i doing something wrong? Thanks for your help!!!!

I have a 1-quart ceramic casserole that I’ve successfully made mini-fruit pies in before. I don’t care if it’s square! Pie is pie, and there are only 2 in my household. I’ve never made anything involving chocolate — I’ve always been afraid of the melting step.

Sounds good, give it a try. The trick with the ganache is patience. Make sure your cream gets to just a simmer, then add the chopped chocolate and walk away for at least 5 minutes. Come back and stir and it should be good. Use good quality chocolate like Ghirardelli.

I think you can use Pyure cup for cup, but I am not sure if it will behave exactly as Swerve does. It’s not granulated, it’s very powdery so I don’t know how it will fare in the meringue or in the ganache.

I’ve made a version of this using the same crust, without the sweetener. The filling adds enough sweet for my taste. For the filling I made a very dark 85% chocolate mousse using the recipe invented by Hervé This, the founder of molecular gastronomy. It’s a very simple technique and goes against everything you think you ought to do because it’s basically water and chocolate, heated and whisked until it makes a mousse. The chocolate doesn’t seize up the way you’d expect. It’s a weird recipe, but yummy.

Made this today,utterly delicious! The chocolate is creamy and the crust is tender. I used the higher amount of stevia because my husband likes chocolate a bit sweeter (a former milk chocolate guy) and it was just perfect. Served with whipped cream of course!

It was also quite easy and quick to make, the hard part was waiting 3 hours for it to cool. I was actually short on cooling time for the crust so it only had about 10 minutes (outside on the deck, it’s cool today) before I poured in the ganache. Chilled for about 3.5 hours.

Carolyn, to prevent chocolate from seizing when making chocolate ganache, use the food processor. I chop the chocolate (any kind) almost to powder, heat up cream very hot in the micro, then process together. I have NEVER had it seize, take way less time too. I used to have a cake business and I did it this way every time, never had a problem. I also use half the amount of cream, then put the rest in cold which cools it down even faster so you can eat it quicker!! Happy Baking
Karen

I’ve never had a problem doing it this way, ever since I wrote this recipe. And that would require two things to clean, both the pot and the processor! (Yep, I am that lazy). 🙂 But thanks for the tip, I may have to try it sometime.

O…M….G. I made this for Thanksgiving; being grain/sugar free, with relatives having nut and dairy allergies, I wanted to make something that could be served in conjunction with the traditional pecan and apple pie. This was S O super rich and chocolaty! I did use the powdered Swerve in the crust, as that was what I had, and it worked fine. I used coconut cream instead of heavy cream, and used Lily’s chocolate chips as opposed to adding additional Stevia. This was so fantastic! Even those who didn’t have allergies loved it as a different option. I will definitely be making again. Thank you Carolyn!

Carolyn, I made this yesterday and refrigerated overnight to take to a cookout. It was tasty but even after sitting out the pie was very firm, actually would have made a delicious fudge. I used Dagoba 100% 2 oz and ghirardelli 100% 4 oz. What would you do differently next time?

Well, that is very interesting to hear because several people have said it does not firm up for them. The reality is that all chocolate is different so the fiber content of the chocolate could be the cause. I’d stick with ghirardelli because that’s what I use.

I went to 2 stores today and neither had 100% chocolate or anything close that didn’t have sugar. So I was resourceful and used a 70% chocolate bar sweetened with stevia (Lilly’s). I added a same cocao powder to compensate for the other 30% of chocolate and added a little less swerve and left out the stevia. I’m happy to report that it turned out great!!

Made this and it was a big hit … family remarked it reminded them of Almond Joy bars … only difference in mine compared to your photos, my coconut crust was not as fluffy or thick looking as yours. Also I originally thought that a 1/12 serving would be too small, LOL … nope, it is so rich and decadent, couldn’t eat more if I wanted to!

Another amazing recipe, Carolyn. So quick and easy to make and a hit with the family. I added approx 3/4 t of ground cardamom as I love the dark chocolate/cardamom combo. Divine. Thank you for continuing to share such wonderful recipes, inspiring my rediscovered love of cooking, especially dessert making and enhancing the LCHF way of life.

How funny! The Martha Stewart recipe was one of the first desserts I tried making over. That was back before I’d started using Swerve, stevia, and Lily’s chocolate. I used G&B 85% chocolate and Herve This’s water and chocolate mousse for the filling. It didn’t work as well as I’d hoped because the mousse was too soft to cut. But it works wonderfully for individual tarts. I have a different recipe from Alice Medrich that I revised that’s my go to chocolate tart. It’s going to be nice to add yours to my repertoire. It looks super yummy.

I know this is an older recipe, but I’m thinking of making these in individual sized muffin cups. Do you think that would work, and would the recipe, as is, fit a standard 12 cup muffin tin? Obviously I’ll need to watch the crust cooking closely as it would probably cook faster, but any thoughts on this would be most appreciated. Thank you!!!

Well dang!! This is the very first recipe of yours that I’ve tried that was a total bust. I used Ghiardelli chocolate and followed the recipe exactly. The crust as tough and crumbled to pieces and the chocolates ganache was rich, but not sweet enough and after 4 hours in the fridge, it was hard as a rock. I’m totally disappointed but after 18 months of trying your recipes, I guess it’s ok that I finally had one fail. :-/

Truthfully, I’m not making this again and will just stick with your Chocolate Mousse Pie – which is simply to die for. 🙂

SO glad i found this recipe! This was my first keto birthday, and as i am doing it for health reasons, i wasn’t willing to splurge on my former go to paleo cake. This was absolutely delicious, and was just what i was waning for a birthday “cake”! I used full fat coconut milk to keep it dairy free, and just used the fat off the top of the cans. The consistency was perfect! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

There is a way to use cacao for unsweetened chocolate but it requires also more oil. I think it’s 3 tbsp cacao plus 1 tbsp oil (butter is fine) for every ounce of chocolatey. You may want to google it.

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Looking for the best low carb recipes? You've come to the right place! I'm Carolyn, a major carnivore and an unrepentant sweet tooth. Here you will find all you need to enjoy the low carb keto lifestyle to the fullest! Read more